If you cast you mind back, you may remember the closing sentence of our last expedition update from Belgrade, Serbia. It read “If all goes to plan, the next update we post will hopefully be from the Black Sea!” By that stage of our expedition I really should have known better than to tempt fate; it took my passing comment as an invitation to make life as hard as possible for us for almost the entire remainder of our expedition.

After the amount of hospitality and generosity we were shown last week, we really didn’t think things could get better. Yet during this past week - our final days paddling through France - we have received an almost overwhelming amount of kindness on a daily basis.

We left Nancy after a few days of rest and an impromptu interview and photo shoot with a French newspaper...

It is a recurring theme on this adventure that the most memorable and positive moments we experience are due to the people we encounter along our way. This week has proven no different; while the paddling has been uneventful and straightforward, the people we’ve crossed paths with have made the week an utter pleasure.

We paddled across the border on a quiet, calm Sunday, alone on the water except for the occasional school of ducklings. For once, there were no fishermen or barges to avoid. We finished our first day in Belgium in the sanctuary of our tent, tucked away in a leafy forest, the evening sunlight casting dappled patterns on the roof of our canvas home. The peace and solitude of that day lulled us into a false sense of what was to come over the subsequent days...

With three weeks to go before our departure date, we are very relieved to say we are ready to go – or as ready as we’ll feel! Thanks to the generosity of our Gold Sponsor Elsevier, we have reached our expedition funding target and have been able to secure the final bits of kit needed. This has also allowed us to focus on our fundraising efforts, and we can report that we have now raised over £21,000 for Pancreatic Cancer Action.